Imaginary
by ShinyModernOcean
Summary: Shane was always a supportive boyfriend, always going along with Mercedes, sometimes to the point where it was unrealistic. That brings up the question, is he himself actually real, or a figment of her imagination?


**Disclaimer: _Ryan Murphy and Fox own Glee, not me_**

**_Shane was always a supportive boyfriend, always going along with Mercedes, sometimes to the point where it was unrealistic. That brings up the question, is he himself actually real, or a figment of her imagination?_**

_Basically, this entire thing came from the idea that Shane is a figment of Mercedes' imagination and it somewhat goes with Season 3 canon, but somewhat doesn't. It was written late at night, so I apologize for errors. I also apologize for OOC. I'm very new to fanfiction._

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><p>It was really all over.<p>

Sam had moved away. He was gone, miles away. Granted, there was the fact that his dad had gotten a job elsewhere, and Mercedes should have been happy, but some part of her was angry. Why get her hopes up, make her think her sweet fairytale prince with amazing abs and an endearing smile would scoop her up, only to leave a month and a half later?

It wasn't fair. Mercedes knew it wasn't. Sam Evans was such a prick. Mercedes had convinced herself it was true, so it had to be.

"That's right, baby, that boy wasn't good for you," that's when it struck Mercedes. She had her solution right in front of her: her new boyfriend Shane Tinsley, so much better than that blond hussy from before.

"I know," the diva smiled, looking straight into those reassuring brown eyes. "Are you ready to announce everything when we get back to school?"

The secret relationship thing never worked and Mercedes was relieved to hear the answer that Shane provided, "Of course. We're going to be a chocolate attack on McKinley then when you get your Grammy, we're going to have choco-babies as planned. I'm going to be in the NFL and everything's going to go right."

"Think I'm going to get some solos in Glee Club for once?" Mercedes asked, knowing once more that her boyfriend would support her.

"Baby, if you don't, Mr. Schuester doesn't know what he's doing. Your voice is magic, exciting, and Rachel just can't keep up."

Mercedes smiled, placing her hand over Shane's. This was going to be a good school year.

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><p>"So, Mercedes, are the rumors true that you and Sam dated over the summer?" Jacob Ben Israel was annoying, but Mercedes was way too happy to tell him off.<p>

"Yeah, but his dad got a job out of state and he transferred. But that's okay. I got myself a new man," Mercedes answered, noticing Shane as he seemingly popped out of nowhere and gesturing toward him. "A better man."

Jacob looked in Shane's general direction and blinked, seemingly ignoring the rather large and hard-to-miss black man. Shane, fully aware of Jacob's presence, wrapped an arm around Mercedes before reciting the whole "Grammy and choco-babies" speech again.

Jacob was still looking where Mercedes had pointed moments before, "I'd love to stand around and watch you point and stare at me creepily for no apparent reason, but, uh, the blogosphere waits for no one…and I'd kind of like to see what Rachel's up to…"

Then he turned and left.

"Ah, hell to the no, he did not just ignore you," Mercedes prepared to be a huge diva, stopped only by Shane.

"Baby, he just isn't ready for us yet. But one day, the world will see and they'll understand," Shane stated, holding her tighter. "It'll all end up okay."

Mercedes calmed down, taking a deep breath, knowing that Shane knew best, "Alright."

The bell rang, and Mercedes went to class, smiling brighter than she had in a long time.

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><p><em>Booty Camp<em>. What a terrible combination of words. Mercedes had dreaded it the moment it was written on that infamous whiteboard in Glee Club. Shuester only made it worse when he decided to go on his annoying spiel in that therapist voice of his.

"Alright, everyone, Dustin Goolsby has been fired from Vocal Adrenaline, leaving them without a director. That means this year is our chance to finally beat them. But we'll still need to work hard and have a lot of determination," Schuester explained. "That's why I've arranged for Mike Chang to help our weakest dancers."

He listed them off, still using the therapist voice. How messed up was it that he was trying to play the nice guy when he was targeting certain people? Mercedes pondered that the second the list began, and it got worse, becoming a frenzy of thought, when her own name was said.

Who the hell did Will Schuester think he was? It was an outrage. Mercedes had talent. She knew it. Shane knew it. Everyone knew it; most of them were just jealous.

Mercedes went on to complain about it to Shane after she got out, down-talking that Spanish teacher with his lack of knowledge in anything that didn't contain outdated songs and how to write random grades on tests.

"Baby, one day that man's going to see that you're a star and you're too good for him to be pushing around," Mercedes took the words to heart. Shane was such a genius.

* * *

><p>Maria was the role made for Mercedes. She would put her own spin on it, be in the spotlight, finally beat out Rachel Berry, and start on her way to that Grammy. World look out, because Mercedes Jones was rising.<p>

Or not.

After all, the judges just had to have that built in "I can't hurt Rachel" sense. It was frustrating. Mercedes had sung her heart out in "Spotlight" and nailed the diva-off. But still, she didn't quite get the role. It was split in half, Mercedes doing one week and Rachel another.

"You don't deserve to take second chair to Rachel. You're better, baby," Shane told her. "Everyone always puts her up on a high chair and brings everything to her. It's like they can't stand to see her cry."

That moment in the cafeteria was the one when Mercedes decided she wouldn't take it any longer. Even if everyone was looking at her strangely for having been talking to her boyfriend, then getting up in a huff, she was too set on her goal: the guidance office.

"I'm dropping out of Westside Story," the words were filled with ice, nothing but; Mercedes was bitter, angry that no one could stand to hurt Rachel, and then she let the words slip out, no filter, not caring about Miss Pillsbury's horrified facial expression.

She turned out of the room, not waiting for a response. She was right. She had every right to be upset. Everything was so wrong and she wouldn't take it anymore.

"Mercedes, are you okay?" that obnoxious voice dared to reach Mercedes' ears, and the R&B singer almost didn't turn around, really not wanting to deal with Schuester's favorite. "You've been acting really weird and talking to yourself."

"Great, you take all the solos and have to get everything you want and now you're making up stuff about me to try to make me seem even worse," Mercedes snapped, turning around and facing none other than Rachel Berry. "Why don't you just go off somewhere and spend some time with Kurt, you know, the friend you somehow stole?"

"I didn't-" the effort to push off Mercedes' anger was shrugged off quickly.

"You're Rachel Berry. No one wants to make you cry. You'll get all your dreams. You're dating the quarterback. You have the lead. You're running for president," Mercedes wouldn't stop—couldn't stop. "You need to make everyone else small so everyone ignores the fact that you make this annoying squeaking noise before every line and so no one wants to try to take your solos or what you want. Well you succeeded again. Happy?"

Rachel was flustered, "Mercedes, I don't think you understand. I never wanted to do anything like that. I'm worried.

"Like you're worried about everyone you cut down?" Mercedes retorted, letting the venom flow through her voice. "I'm done with it. Shane told me all about you earlier and now I think I get it."

"Shane?" Rachel was confused.

"Yeah. My boyfriend, Shane Tinsley," Mercedes replied before turning back around to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my next class."

"But, Mercedes, there's no one named-" it was too late; the other girl had turned the corner.

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><p>Quitting Glee Club followed quickly, Schuester's constant complaints too much to bear, Shane supporting the decision. Mercedes had gone out with a bang, most likely upsetting ninety percent of the room with what she said and ending up alone in the auditorium by the time it all resolved.<p>

Although initially Mercedes debated joining Sugar's club, she changed her mind, opting to spend her time after school with Shane, the only person who could make her happy.

She'd lost everything else: her best friend, her fairytale, the role she deserved…

What was next? Somehow, Mercedes knew that everyone and everything was turning in on her, waiting in a queue to leave when she wanted them most, taken away by circumstance and/or obnoxious solo hogs.

It was _maddening_. But she had Shane. That's the only person, the only thing in general she needed. He would never leave her, would never let her be sad, feel let out. He would be honest, love her, treat her how she deserved. Maybe Shane was the true fairytale prince to take her hand and guide her to the beautiful castle by horse-drawn carriage.

"I love you," she told him, leaning against his shoulder which felt strangely like part of her couch, something she noticed for the first time but chose to ignore.

"I love you too, baby," Shane responded right on cue, though something was different this time, something that his girlfriend didn't like. "But you know this isn't a solution, right?"

"Hmm?" she looked up, confused. What was he talking about? He was the only answer to all her questions, all her many problems that continued to rack up everyday.

Shane looked serious, more so than usual, "You know this isn't real, right? That you'll have to snap out of this sometime?"

"I liked it better when you were talking about how amazing I am," Mercedes declared. "Go back to that."

"And what about reality, baby? You can't keep dancing around the facts," Shane explained, and she really wished that he would stop talking for once. "You're going to need to figure out where you want to be one day."

Mercedes closed her eyes, trying to push it all away, trying to ignore Jacob's seeming rudeness and Rachel's last desperate sentence. She needed to push them away and she needed to push away all the issues. She needed to push away life altogether.

Opening her eyes, she expected to see Shane, but there was nothing—_nothing. _

Had there ever been anything to begin with? Was there anything that came from all she did? _No_. Mercedes had given up everything she had held dear, she had let it slip out of her hands and shatter into a million pieces on a whim and on the advice of someone who never was.

Shane Tinsley didn't exist.

He wasn't real.

He was a figment of her imagination she made to deal with it all and make herself feel better.

Feeling very stupid, Mercedes only knew one thing. She had a lot of apologizing to do for all the stuff she had said. Mercedes reached for her cellphone, going into her contacts list and pressing the name of the first person she felt deserved an apology.

"Hey, Rachel? It's Mercedes."

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><p><em>Eh, that could have been better. It's staying a one-shot because I have no clue what I could do after that and it was hard enough to write this seeing as I don't really care for Shane. Oh well.<em>

_~ShinyModernOcean-__11/10/11_


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